The present invention broadly relates to a new and improved construction of a locking or arresting apparatus for securing or fixing an adjusted or set position at an associated device or apparatus, for instance an adjusted position at a mechanical device which is pivotably mounted upon a support. Moreover, for adjusting and fixing the previously adjusted position, there can be, for instance, locked or arrested a rotatably mounted operating member in the form of a hand wheel which is operatively connected by means of a gearing or transmission with the mechanical device.
The prior art is acquainted with arrangements and constructions of locking or arresting apparatuses for securing an aligned position, in other words, an adjusted position of a firing weapon. However, heretofore it was still problematic to achieve at the firing weapon an infinite securement or locking of the adjusted position free of play and which was effective in both directions of adjustment of the firing weapon.
A firing device, as such is constituted by a firing weapon or gun, should be capable of being locked or arrested in random infinite elevation positions or settings of the firing weapon with simple operations performed by the gunner or operator. In this case, the adjustment or setting operation which is involved concerns the alignment of the optical sighting line with respect to the bore axis of the firing weapon. In order to accomplish these difficult or sensitive adjustment operations, there must be capable of being carried out a locking or arresting operation which is precise and free of play, in other words, a positively effective locking or arresting operation. Additionally, the locking or arresting operation must be completely effective in both directions of rotation in the manual drive, such as the hand wheel. In the released position of the hand wheel, there must be ensured a frictionless free-wheeling of the hand wheel.
However, due to the special requirements which are placed upon the performance of a locking or arresting operation, there arise further problems to the extent that when resorting to manual operation the elevation angle is increased in relation to N (revolutions or turns of the hand wheel) .times. 360.degree.. Also, the bearings should not be loaded by the arresting or locking operation. In other words, there must be accomplished a stress-free locking or arresting operation. Moreover, the operation itself preferably must occur by performing a rotational movement having constant torque or moment of rotation throughout the entire free-wheeling action of the hand wheel.
It is already known in this technology to arrange, for instance, a lamellae-brake between a stationary immobile part of the firing device, such as for example a gun mount or a housing, and a rotatably mounted hand wheel. By means of the lamellae-brake it is intended to lock and fix in place the position of the hand wheel and thus the momentarily set adjusted position of the firing device. The heretofore known arrangement of a lamellae-brake for locking or arresting a once-set adjusted position at a firing device was, however, not satisfactory. Additionally, the constructional expenditure and space requirements for the prior art arrangement of a lamellae-brake were comparatively high. When there is subsequently installed or retrofitted a locking or arresting apparatus, there can particularly arise considerable problems as concerns space requirements and it is for this reason that constructional solutions having modest or small space requirements are advantageous.